


The River

by BeaconMineshaftII



Category: Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Cute, Elf/Human Relationship(s), F/M, Female Mage Warden - Freeform, Fluffy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-07 15:53:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26650204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeaconMineshaftII/pseuds/BeaconMineshaftII
Summary: Acacia and Alistair have a cute moment together after getting separated from Leliana and Zevran. (Female elven mage warden)Cute & fluffy oneshot
Relationships: Alistair/Female Warden (Dragon Age)
Kudos: 5





	The River

“I can’t believe you threw me off of a cliff,” Alistair laughed as he pushed some bushes aside to continue further down the non-existent forest path. The elven mage behind him flushed from embarrassment. “And  _ then _ , as if that wasn’t  _ enough _ : you  _ jumped _ off of it after me.”

Alistair was unable to contain himself any longer and stopped in the middle of the path, nearly crying from laughter. Acacia turned a bit more red, crossed her arms, and waited for the former Templar to compose himself. Eventually he stood up straight again and wiped some stray tears from his eyes.

“No, seriously, please explain that to me. I’m failing to see how that was useful.”

“I didn’t want you to fall off of a cliff by yourself,” Acacia tried to defend herself.

“I had grabbed the ledge until I saw you jump off of it.”

“I didn’t know that at the time.”

“No, your immediate thought was to fling yourself off of a cliff. The Wardens were almost gone in an instant.”

“I didn’t say it was a  _ perfect _ plan.” Alistair raised his eyebrows at her before he howled with laughter again. This time he didn’t bother to try to hold himself up, he fell over onto the ground instead.

Acacia sighed but smiled slightly. She hadn’t seen Alistair laugh this much...ever. 

After a few moments, she poked his side with her foot. “Are you quite finished? We should probably rejoin the others.”

“Good thing I’m wearing armor or you might have decided to break one of my ribs to get my attention,” he quipped before resuming his hysteria. The Warden rolled her eyes before sitting on the ground beside him. They had been travelling for several days at this point and she was tired. Alistair was probably tired as well, she realized.

“Why don’t we rest here and let the others come find us?”

Alistair stopped laughing and smiled up at the redhead. “That’s not a bad idea.”

“Better than jumping off of a cliff?”

“Technically  _ you  _ jumped,  _ I _ was thrown.”

“To be fair, you were only thrown because you saw a fireball and decided to run towards it.”

“I can’t keep up with all of your spells. What explodes and what doesn’t explode.”

“I yelled ‘fireball.’”

Alistair shrugged. “It was still unclear.”

Acacia rolled her amber-colored eyes. “Well, you rest here. I’ll gather some wood for a fire.”

“You’ll give me some warning before you light it?”

“Oh, I won’t light it. That will be your job. That way it’s safe.”

“Wait a minute--”

Before Alistair was able to protest, she had slipped away into the forest. Alistair sat up and shook his head as he rested his arms on his knees. It had been a while since he had gotten an opportunity to sit in the woods without being attacked or on some long, extravagant mission. It was nice. He made a mental note to make it a point to sit out in nature more often. The only thing that would make it better was Acacia’s company. Alistair wanted nothing more than to spend every minute of his time with her. If only she felt the same way. But it was doubtful. She was smarter than him. And a better leader. And she was honest--a label that Alistair couldn’t apply to himself. He wasn’t honest with her about his past when she had asked. Because he hadn’t trusted her when she hadn’t given him a reason not to trust her. And now she thought that his lie was the truth. But he wanted to tell her the truth. He owed her that much. Especially if he was honest with himself about how much he cared for her.

He sighed and stood. “Time to go find her and hope that she doesn’t kill me.”

* * *

Acacia had just finished picking up enough firewood when she stumbled upon a river. There were a few animals nearby drinking from it as she walked over to it, sticking her hand in to test the temperature. It was nice and cool and fresh. She got out her flask to refill it.

“There you are,” Alistair said, relieved when he saw her. “Didn’t you hear me calling for you?”

“Oh, sorry, no,” she smiled up at him. “The water’s fresh.” Alistair stuck his hand in.

“You know, going for a swim would probably make my head feel better,” he announced before beginning to take off his armor. The redhead looked at him in surprise, clearly caught off guard, before turning a bit pink and looking away. 

Alistair chuckled. Apparently she’s modest, too. After a few moments, he had waded out into the water. Acacia had decided it was safe to look again as she took off her boots and dipped her feet into the water. He was right, it was soothing.

“You’re welcome to join me. I’ll turn around while you change.”

“That does sound nice,” she admitted. Alistair turned while she took off her clothes and waded into the water. The advantage of being a mage meant that she wasn’t stuck in all of that stuffy armor like Alistair was. It also meant that changing took her a lot less time than most of her companions.

Acacia waded into the river and immediately decided that she didn’t want to leave it any time soon. She closed her eyes as she allowed the sensation of the running water to take over. She could save the world from there, right?

“It’s nice, isn’t it?”

She opened her eyes to find the taller blond looking at her affectionately. After they had almost died together at Ostagar, they had been nearly inseparable. Nearly dying had created a bond between them that she didn’t have with the others back at camp.

When she didn’t reply, he continued. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“That sounds ominous,” she noted, concern crossing her features. “Are you alright?”

Alistair smiled, though it was less jovial than normal. “I wasn’t quite honest with you before. When you asked about my past.” She studied his face as he talked, waiting for him to finish what he was saying before reacting. It was the same look she used when deciding the judgement of those who try to kill her or innocents around her. Open, curious, but cautious. “I know who my father was. He was King Maric. My mother was a serving maid of his. But I was brought up by Arl Eamon after she died. Until he remarried, that is. Then I was sent off to the Templars. The rest of what I told you before is true after that.”

“I wish you had told me the truth initially,” she said softly, “but I understand why you didn’t. I’m glad that you’ve decided to tell me the truth.” Her brows furrowed slightly. “But why tell me this now?”

“I wanted you to hear it from me instead of Arl Eamon or anyone else there.” He sighed, running his hand through his hair. “I also just wanted to tell you. Because you deserved to know the truth. But I didn’t want you treating me any differently because I don’t care about any of that.”

“You don’t care that you could be king?”

“I don’t want to be king. I could honestly not care less about blood status or royalty. It doesn’t matter to me.” When she was silent, he sighed again. He was clearly frustrated with trying to convey what he was thinking and feeling to her. It would be easier if she could just read his mind, he thought in irritation before realizing that she would be privy to  _ all _ of his thoughts. That was likely to embarrass them both. 

“Are you alright?”

“No--well, yes. I just need a second to try to compose my thoughts. I’m not as good with words as you are.”

To his surprise, she laughed. He wasn’t sure if she was laughing at him or with him but he didn’t honestly care. The smile she gave him made him feel more at ease. “You don’t have to say anything perfectly, Alistair. I just care that you say  _ something _ if it’s bothering you. If I can help in any way, I will.”

Alistair inhaled sharply before cupping the sides of her face with his hands and kissing her softly. He pulled away before she could react, trying not to overstep too many boundaries. For once, Acacia was speechless. 

“I’m sorry,” he said quickly, “I should have asked first. It’s okay--”

This time, she cut him off by shifting her weight to her toes to make herself tall enough to kiss him. His muscular arms wrapped around her slender frame as she pulled herself closer to him.

“Well, that was something.”

Acacia laughed, keeping her arms around his neck. “It was alright.”

Alistair retaliated by splashing some water on her. She wasted no time in splashing him back. Their tender moment devolved into them behaving like small children as they tried to splash each other without getting wet.

* * *

“I am surprised the Warden is taking part in this,” Zevran said from the treeline. Leliana shook her head with a smile.

“I think she likes it,” the Bard said softly, watching her two companions in the river. It was the most relaxed either of them had looked in several weeks. “We should give them a few minutes. It’s not like we’re in a hurry.”

“The Blight can wait a few more minutes for romance, yes?”

“I think it can. It has to.”

“So, at the Chantry,” Zevran grinned at Leliana. She groaned, knowing that this was going to go somewhere deviant very quickly. “You’re all sworn to celibacy, yes?”

“Not everyone, no.”

“So you were allowed to do things?”

“I had other things to worry about. I was there for other reasons, remember?”

“There are other things to worry about?”

Leliana did her best to tune him out until Acacia and Alistair had dragged themselves out of the river. Zevran took that as an opportunity to announce themselves.

“You finally found us,” Alistair greeted them, looking more cheerful than usual.

“Here, I’ll help,” Leliana told the Warden, who was trying to pin up her hair without a mirror.

“We’ve been here a while,” Zevran replied, watching Alistair struggle to get his heavy armor back on. He made no move to help, unlike Leliana, who gave him an unamused look.

“How long exactly?”

“Oh we saw everything.”

“It was quite cute,” Leliana assured Acacia. “And we didn’t want to interrupt. Moments like that are rare,” she chastised Zevran. 

To Alistair and Zevran’s surprise, Acacia kissed Alistair on the cheek softly and helped pull his armor on the rest of the way. Alistair smiled at her fondly. A smile that Acacia returned. She wasn’t afraid to show affection around him. It soothed a fear that he hadn’t even been conscious of. Something that Acacia always seemed to be good at, especially with him.

Leliana watched the exchange with a smile. Watching love bloom is one of her favorite pastimes. And she was going to enjoy watching it blossom even in the face of uncertainty.


End file.
